The original Kingdom of Men are the descendants of Herras the Dragonslayer. The blood red of the court dress, its crest of a greatsword impaling a dragon’s skull and the great stone city of Glimring (built to repel the dragons’ fire) are all reminders of how this kingdom began. The King of Edelrend is currently Vallen III and he rules from the Taper Hall Keep rising on a hill at the heart of Glimring (Some may also refer to this as WhiteHall, which was Glim the Unquenched’s center of power prior to the city’s construction around it).
Valen’s kingdom, though small, contains a number of exceptionally loyal lords and nobles ready to come to his aid at a moments notice. It spans from the Briarwood down to the Wheatsea, South to the Thundering River, and then skirts Suther Hills and Eldwyd. Its abundant resources, relative recent peace, and well-maintained roads make it very enviable among the Six Kingdoms.
Taxes are moderate, but the King does show tangible result from the collection of funds, so the majority if the villages and territory support his efforts. One exception to this is a band of very active thieves known as the “Shadows of Stillwood”; while numerous attempts have been made to flush them out, the King accepts their petty thievery as a consequence of his rule, so they operate fairly freely. The Shadows do not attack civilians but instead occasionally lighten the load of any royal tax collectors in their area.
* AFTER 642, a period known as “The Reveal”, the current king was driven away and the queen slain; Thus, these banners have been torn down and the war cries are spoken no more. The heir apparent was never found and a NEW order was restored to the city from a certain Davian Istarus, Lord High Commander of the Suthican Regent. He broke from his former kingdom (Suthers) to stand the gap in the absence of a king. He is well loved among a number of the Edelrend and is reshaping it into his own image.
The current flags flying over Glimring are the banner of the Lord High Commander and his saying “Order Is Restored” is on the lips of its people.
Banner of the Lord High Commander of the New Armies
PRE-HISTORY is surrounded by myth and legend, but many of the records of the old cultures were destroyed by the Dragons, to keep the races subjugated. Not all dragons were so inclined, but a clever man slew the GreatClaw (eldest of dragons) and the Age of Man begins. In those days, the lands were known by their draconic name translating to “Lands Where the Sun Rises”
Year 0: The rebellion against the Draconic ruler led by Herras (aka Herras I) ends the Age of Dragons and begins the Age of Man (Then the lands were known as the Freelands).
11: Herras, said to be blessed by the gods, shows no sign of aging. All take it as a sign that he is their anointed leader.
34: Herras I weds Lady Gantru (a cousin of the Elvenking’s wife) & the humans in the region rally around him as Lord.
68: Herras & Gantru have a son; they call him Edel. He is a charming child and word spreads of his intellect.
86: Edel (18) marries Eostra (daugher of Aelfrin, Ancient Queen of the Elves); she is named Queen over all the midlands.
94: Lady Gantru dies; Herras pledges to continue the prosperity brought on by Gantru. All local lords swear fealty to him, including the Dwarven King Uli. This turning from Eostra is known among the elves as “The Shunning”.
100: Herras, knowing things will turn ugly, abdicates to his son Edel, hoping his son’s union will quell war.
122: King Edel and Queen Eostra have a son named Raldan (Great Hope in the old tongue). He is seen as a savior of the kingdoms. The lands are know as Edelrealm in those days.
141: EdelKing dies; Raldan asserts his Kingship against his own mother. The lands become split and civil war begins. Many who practice magic turn from previous healing crafts into more violent and direct magics.
156: After an unpopular and unstable rule, Raldan dies childless & Eostra rises, sympathetic to the humans, who she views as misguided children. This viewpoint puts her at odds with several powerful Magi who’ve allied into an order called The Illustra, banded together to cool civil unrest and restore faith in magic. They are led by a frail human named Tiodimus.
160: A cousin of Eostra named Aendrith is given control of the Southern lands and the midlands are officially split. Multiple skirmishes break out as formerly allied lords assert themselves. This event is called “the Rending” and gives the lands their current name (Edelrend).
172: Elvenking Aendrith’s wife, a half-elf named Anura, commits adultery with a Northern Lord and produces a bastard son (Lagas). It is considered high treason to the honor of the elves. Those without pure elven blood are not only shunned by the high elves, but gain the epithet, “Anuran” or “Anurakin”.
173: After a year of imprisonment, Anura is put to death for embarrassing the honor of the Elves; It fuels another uprising. The high elves retreat to the darkest forests and turn their backs on the younger races.
175: Lagas is safely held within the stronghold of his uncle, Glim, a robber baron, but masterful warrior on the field. He is raised as a possible heir to the Northern lands.
176: Eostra goes on an expedition and mysteriously disappears; some fear foul play but can prove nothing as her ship is found on the south eastern coasts, empty but unscathed.
180: Aendrith, sick of human politics, annexes the North; his magic is so strong, none can halt his archers, thus they yield. The Illustra is disbanded and are scattered to the outer lands.
192: Eostra returns as a powerful wizard (presumably under the tutelage of the disbanded Illustra) and claims her right to rule, but without human support she falters. Meanwhile, citing ancient (draconic) law, Lagas takes the throne as the White King (Regent of the Northern Realms). Eostra yields and vanishes into obscurity.
205: Lagas plans to marry a outlander noblewoman named Vess who’s fortunes are vast, but her entire clan is wiped out by undead in the east. Many quietly fear it’s the work of the Illustra.
206: Lagas’s men ride east to fight waves of undead who’ve apparently come from the Valley of Hope to the east.
207: The Valley of Hope is corrupted by plague; everything is dead or undead. A battleplan is formed with the aid of Dwarven engineering. The first firearms are forged and the men are indebted to the Dwarven lords.
208: Lagas and his bride, Nem (of common stock) produce a daughter named Duila.
210: Fearing for their safety, Lagas, Nem and Duila take refuge in Glimring, which becomes the official seat of Northern kingship.
224: Lord Lagas is severely wounded in a hunt and abdicates to Duila, who becomes the Northern Queen.
227: Duila commissions a great fort known as Belbannon to garrison an army to fight the encroaching undead. It’s walls sprout a previously unseen weapon; the cannon.
228: Queen Duila gives birth to a son, Gorrin (Stronghand); rumors of war arise to the east again.
234: A necromancer called Ransil the Bonehand leads undead to destroy Belbannon. Despite it’s firepower, Belbannon falls. The entire kingdom is under siege.
235: Men, Elves & Dwarves put aside differences to quell the undead; the Dwarves offer the plan to build a great barrier known as Farhold; it is a wall, miles long with fortified turrets.
236: Eostra appears one final time to assist the Rune crafting dwarves in construction of the Farhold.
239: Queen Duila becomes ill; the court asserts that Gorrin Stronghand becomes King.
245: King Gorrin, well advised, becomes a capable ruler. Aendrith marries Gorrin’s 13 year old sister to unify power.
250: King Gorrin Stronghand & Lady Murrin have a son named Agus and a twin daughter named Agrin.
262: King Gorrin’s sister Evendra (wife of the Elvenking) has an affair and produces a bastard son named Ezreth.
263: Shamed by yet another scandal, the Elvenking retreats to the Far South. He is never seen again and the Elves strike out against the humans in one last furious war.
277: After ten years of warfare, Ezreth leads an army of rebels in the south. They decimate what was once called Antria but is now called Burnham.
278: King Gorrin encourages his son to take the crown & make peace with the southern lords. A short period of prosperity ensues and the land is called Edelrend.
279: Many of the Elves retreat to the heart of the great forest Aelfrinir. Ezreth is declared HighLord of the southern reaches and builds Southwatch.
282: Agus finally accepts the crown from his father; mostly to give his newborn son Genneth legitimacy.
292: The Southern King Ezreth has a daughter named Caldira.
307: After many years of quiet manipulation, a Grand Marriage is forged; Caldira & Genneth will rule the kingdom under one banner.
318: Caldira has four sons in this time, but all fall prey to misfortune. In the Season of Waking she has a daughter named Ovandra.
324: Radiant, and rumored to have come from the Faeveil, Eostra comes and takes the throne of Eldwyd, abandoned by the council of Elven lords that had been desperately holding it in check.
326: Ovandra has a vision and declares herself the daughter of Dava ; this creates a schism among worshipers of the Lightbringer. She herself is worshipped by many as a prophetess.
336: The young Ovandra is overwhelmingly accepted as the new Queen of Edelrend; her coronation is a sign of a new era and the lands experience a previously unknown peace.
338: The SeerQueen Ovandra gives birth to Herras II.
342: The SeerQueen Ovandra abdicates to follow the path of the high-priestess, restoring order in the Church of Light. Herras II reluctantly becomes King.
360: Herras II also has a remarkably peaceful rule; late in life he produces a son, Taron.
372: King Herras II dies of natural causes (he died a very large man) & King Taron now rules.
379: King Taron does not marry but has a son (Herras III) by Lady Wensley noblewoman of the Sadetha. Many of the lords in the kingdom lament that there has not been a war leader in the throne for many years.
398:King Taron dies of plague & Lady Wensley returns to Sadetha. Herras III is King.
402: A trade agreement is signed with the Sadetha providing limits on exports and imports; trade guilds are formally acknowledged. Herras III’s reign is facetiously called the “Era of Box and Hammer.”
404: King Herras weds Saedir Greenbough, descendant of the famous Vera Bough (diplomat of the Eladrin).
405: Formal relations with the Elves and Eladrin of Aelfrinir are restored. The military presence on the southern border is relaxed.
408: Herras IV is born. Concurrently, a new race is discovered in the deepest Southern reaches of the world.
422: A new Elvenking (Amrin) has been ruling silently since Aendrith’s removal; Amrin’s daughter takes the throne peacefully.
426: Herras IV assumes Kingship as his father retires to Stormground Manor to spend the rest of his days.
429: King Herras III dies at Stormground before he can see his succession continue.
434: King Herras IV has a son; he names him Vallen which in the old tongue means “to be remembered”. The Church of Light blesses him predicting great things to come from his reign. The sect known as the Sleepers denounce the prophecy and the “War of Words” begins.
450: King Herras IV dismisses his wife on the grounds that she can produce no more children; in reality, it’s for a chambermaid. It becomes a very quiet scandal and damages relations with the lords of the land.
457: After many years of lechery, Herras IV is assassinated. It is quietly accepted as fate. Vallen becomes King.
460: Vallen marries Aleossir, a stunning half-elven beauty. Her voice is legendary amongst the Elves and bards begin to gather at Glimring to learn from her.
462: Aleossir gives birth to a daughter, Evaldra, but dies in the process. King Vallen is destroyed & never remarries.
464: After many long years of bitter slander, the Highpriest of the Church of Light issues an apology to the Hermit’s Church; the War of Words ends.
466: King Vallen dedicates the Bardic College in Glimring to his wife’s name. Many other colleges open among the land.
484: After a very long and productive reign, Vallen abdicates to his daugher.
490: Queen Evaldra reopens old wounds when she too declares her bloodline is directly from Donas; a short religious war ensues but quickly ended by an edict. A powerful sorceror (a worshiper of Cadiga) steps in to provide counsel; his name is Hoksmar.
494: Rumors of the ancient Eostra arise. A circle of Archmages is summoned and a court mage is appointed.
500: Queen Evaldra, without a husband for so long, marries Faldrin Highshield, a barbarian tribal lord. The Golden Celebration (a year long feast) begins to celebrate the Civil Lands.
508: Queen Evaldra & Faldrin have a son. She names it Vallen II, to honor her father & grandfathers.
531: A Draconic emissary called Tilabiloth (a golden dragon) descends on the Kingdom to warn that the dragons are now at war.
532: Queen Evaldra abdicates to her son with a warning to not get involved in draconic matters. For a time, he listens.
550: King Vallen II shows little sign of aging; many assume it’s elven blood, but it is draconic sorcery.
553: King Vallen II weds Lady Sethen Tanner, daughter of a powerful Merchant Lord.
555: The Master-Wizard Eostra returns from the Outer Planes and claims rule over the EldWyd. Aar, the Watcher of Lands decides the time is right and fades.
557: Lady Sethen dies from a powerful curse; King Vallen II swears revenge.
559: King Vallen II remarries Sendra, daughter of the Ehmmite High Priestess.
560: Their union produces a son named Loras. The same year the Orcish Pirates begin to assault the old Elven lands. The communities of the Cutlass Coast form and an orcish presence is now permanent in the lands.
568: There is an all out war between the Elves and the Orcs along the shores of the Westfold. Much blood is spilled and the land becomes a haven to thugs.
569: Brannenhar, formerly called Eldrethen, is given it’s independence. It provides troops to the Westfold.
570: King Vallen II leads a huge force against the orcs; he is slain by the black dragon, Drench. Loras is crowned later that year. While this ends the conflict, the Orcs take a foothold along the Greedlands where they remain.
573: At 13, Loras is bored with his Kingship. He pleads the court advisors (who has the power to overturn a regent’s decision unless he is 15) to let him study magic, but he is denied.
574: King Loras wastes immense amounts of treasure restoring the small stone bridge (built in the Draconic Age) at Daybreak (Longbridge) with a large wooden one. It quickly becomes home to several attached shops and structures and it’s know as the Maze of Loras.
575: King Loras’s rule is tested by a wave of refugees from Bennehar & Westfold. Among them, Halflings, seen by men for the first time. According to the halflings, this is because men weren’t looking hard enough before.
578: Three years of strain on the kingdom have matured Loras. He begins to solidify his allegiances with the surrounding lands. The problem with the Longbridge are fixed by a talented engineer named Dabbin and goods begin to flow.
579: Once thought folly, Longbridge becomes a center of trade and entertainment for both Men and Dwarves. It becomes a very popular city with its cleanliness, prosperity and dedication to festivals (at least one a week).
583: The independent barbarian lands of The Three Territories pledge solidarity with King Loras. They cite the long bridge as their reason. More cynical members of the kingdom gossip of waning power and countless beasts appearing from the surrounding forests.
585: Loras convinces the Barbarian Lords to participate in the war to the southeast. They agree and send a great army. He declares the civil lands to be the six kingdoms of Edelrend (A number of nobles sworn to Glimring), Folkstand (an alliance of Barbarian Lords under the strongest leader), Firdeng (The Dwarven King), Suthers (desdcendants of the lords who pledged to Ezreth), Eldwyd (The New Elven Kingdom run by the remnants of the Illustra) and Aelfrenir (The Ancient Elven Kingdom). The merchant rulers of Sadetha are excluded, because Vallen II considers them robbers of the people.
588: King Loras marries his long time consort, Ventna and has a son. He is called Vallen III (the current king).
590: The army nearly starves out every town along its path, but succeeds in quelling an orc invasion.
591: The Wildlands, wild tangles north of the Barbarian lands, suddenly explode with activity.
592: Rumors of a violent and powerful Troll king surface and the Barbarians rally quickly but can’t garner support from Loras, who assumes it’s just a rumor.
600: Relations between Edelrend and the Barbarian lands cool, due to Loras’s inaction. He is a poor ally and the Barbarian Clan leaders trade his name as an insult.
604: Lady Ventna, haunted by nightmares, hangs herself in Glimring. Loras is beside himself and never recovers.
607: King Loras is found wandering in the mountains at the border of Firdeng. His competency to rule comes into question. Some suggest he has been poisoned by assassins from Sadetha.
612: King Loras is all but locked in a tower, day-to-day decisions occurring at the hands of his counselors. Something is desperately wrong with him but none of the sages or doctors of the region can determine it’s cause.
615: Vallen III assumes the throne at the urging of the counsel; Loras is stark raving mad and thinks he’s a demon. Some rumor that he’s been cursed while others hold him in deep sympathy.
619: After four painful years of torment, Loras passes quietly in his sleep. It’s a relief for all who knew the royal family. For those who do not, it’s a source of rumor.
623: Vallen III marries Terris Goldenhair, a descendant of Theus Wolfblood (a barbarian hero); it’s viewed as a good sign for the Six Kingdoms.
624: Terris gives birth to their eldest child, Vaius.
627: Vallen III renews the Trade Agreements with Sadetha, however many in the Kingdom disapprove. That same year his daughter (Uenir) is born and her mother dies in childbirth.
632: King Vallen III funds an expedition to the Parched Lands (long thought to be where Aendrith retreated); no one returns.
635: The King is remarried to Uil, who gives him a son within the first year of their marriage. They call him Edelor (“descendant of Edel”). He is born with piercing blue eyes and can sing before he can speak. He is seen as the portent of a long, peaceful rule.
636: Prince Edelor turns one. The Six Kingdoms celebrate his birth day with a grand festival. It’s the first time in the Kingdoms a birth date is considered a holiday and is adopted in the local kingdoms.
638: Rumors of a death cult spread through the Kingdom; Worshippers of Dava blame the Gileshians, who call it preposterous and denounces the gossip.
640: A new, secretive order of Knights is formed at Glimring; They are the Legion of Ambers Edge, sword mages who serve the crown, organized under House Hawksblood.
642: The current year of the Edelrend, which some call the Civl Age.
The world of Ethren 